Not Everything Happens For A Reason

Not long ago I saw a picture on Instagram (a picture sharing app on iPhones) that said "Everything happens for a reason." and underneath it said "(American Proverb)."* I don't know if this saying is one that is unique to the America's but I've certainly grown up hearing it. For a long time I believed it. Many of my friends still believe it. However, I've come to believe that it isn't true, at least not in the way it is often employed.

The implication of the saying is that everything that occurs, even our choices, are the result of some divine plan which is essentially a blue print (as Greg Boyd illustrates it) for the cosmos throughout eternity. Some people call this fate. There are several problems with this belief. Some of these ideas come from reading the work of pastor Greg Boyd.

It's true that everything that happens can be somewhat explained. In that sense there is a reason for everything. However, it'd be more correct to say there is an explanation for everything (even if we can't quite reach it yet). This is why science and history are so valuable for humanity to embrace as much as possible. If we can explain and understand what has already occurred we can better plan for tomorrow. Much of the time we can easily look at our life situations and, if we are honest, discern why things are the way they are. We are able to say "I am late on rent because I spent money on junk food and video games instead" or "I don't have a father because the man who is half responsible for my birth was afraid of the commitment and abandoned my mother." Our circumstances can typically be explained by our behavior and the behavior of others.

This is why the popular cliche is so dangerous. It can sweep responsibility under the rug. If everything happens because it has been previously determined to happen by God then I'm not truly responsible for anything. The choices I make were never truly choices and thus my circumstances are never anything but the work of God who is puppeteering all his creation. The Bible does not paint this picture though. While God has sovereignty and will bring his plans to fruition through working in the world he is not a forceful God but a serving God. God will never be truly thwarted. Don't be fooled, just because everything doesn't happen as a result of God's direct action doesn't mean that some things don't happen for this reason. For example: Because Jesus commands, the storm was hushed (Matthew 8:23-27). God has a plan but he has given his people free will so that they may choose to live or die (see Genesis 3). God does not desire for us to make poor choices which go against his will for the cosmos but he allows it. This is a reason for everything. God has taken the risk of giving his creation choice. Such an existence has the potential for good and bad. As we all know, both exist because both are chosen by all people. If we were not given choice we could say everything happens because God made it happen and thus our responsibility would cease to exist but this is not the case.

We can safely conclude that God has plans and desires for his creation and that his creation has the freedom to choose between living in or out of his will. Everything that occurs or exists does so because God has allowed it to occur or exist, even if it was brought about through our own exercising of freedom. We can conclude not only that God has allowed an infinite amount of things to happen due to our freedom but that he is able and willing to work all things for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28). Yes, God has a plan for everything that happens, even if he did not desire for it to happen. Many things happen that God does not desire (read the Bible if you disagree and you'll quickly see this is true). This is called sin. But God has a plan for all things because he is concerned with redeeming this fallen cosmos. He is working to reconcile all things back to him (Colossians 1:19-20).

It may be defeated at first to realize that God is not fully responsible for everything that happens but soon, with meditation, it becomes a great relief. What good is a God who is responsible for a creation without free will in which all abortions, wars, rapes, deaths, beatings, divorces, betrayals, abandonments, and evils thrive? Isn't it much better to know we are responsible for what is wrong with the world and to know that a good God is working to fix what we have twisted? Isn't it encouraging to know that even if we make mistakes or if others purposefully do evil that God has a plan for all those evils, that they may be used for his good plans? I certainly think that is far better to have a redeeming God who rescues than a control obsessed god who wants evil to flourish among his creation.

*It turns out the image is from quotablecards.com.

Does Government Set the Standard for Morality?

My friend "K" asked a question on Facebook recently. He asked, "Should it be the government's job to set a standard for morality in the United States?"

As a Christian there are truths which I must (and want to) proclaim. One of those truths is that morality, justice, goodness, life, and healthy cultivation all derive from the Creator God revealed in the holy scriptures known as Yahweh (YHWH). Throughout scripture God directs his creation on how to operate within the universe so that life may exist and exist in goodness and abundance, in fullness. From Adam and Eve whom he gave directions on how to live in the Garden of Eden, to Noah and his family whom he chose (due to righteousness) to refill the earth, to the Israelites and their neighboring nations (remember the Ten Commandments?), to kings, to prophets, to the world through Jesus Christ God has revealed the Truth, the Life, and the Way. Life is found in Christ. The Creator is found in Christ. Since Christ is the the fullest revelation of Creator God in history it follows that in Christ we see the standard for how to live (morality) more clearly than anywhere else.

Since it is God, and in a unique sense, Jesus Christ, whom we receive morality from, it then follows that those who submit to The Way of the Creator are the people on earth who give witness to the standard of morality which is found in Christ Jesus. These are the people people who imitate Jesus Christ. In the New Testament these people are said to be those who are "like Jesus in this world." While it is true that these people are not always found in the established church it seems according to the New Testament and early Christian writings that the people who fit this descriptions are those who are called Christians, having been baptised "members" of the Church, partaking in the Eucharist, and living under the authority of the scriptures. In shorter words, the universal morality given to man by God is most clearly exhibited and witnessed to by the Church. This is the way things ought to be. Sadly, the institutional church fails at being a faithful witness and example. Sometimes a grater witness is seen in those who don't even confess Christ. Regardless, it is the Church to which God has established witness for the world and it is the Church which must set the standard on earth, in all nations.

In other words, the Church ought to be setting the standard by example/witness because she is like Jesus in this world. Laws won't change hearts like love will. Behavior modification is not true morality as God as given but rather an imitation that falls drastically short. God seeks to transform rebellious creation. Within that transformation morality is most adopted. But what then is the government's role in connection to morality? If it is not the authorities who set the standard for the people of the nations then what is it they are to do? Surely there is a connection between governments and how morality is lived out.

Governments can govern the people, punishing and rewarding those who embrace or reject the standard of morality set by God for all people (according to Romans 13:1- and 1 Peter 2:13-17) but the governments do not set the standard. The governments are enforces who are meant to ensure peace among the people. As Romans 13:4 points out, "For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer." Within this we see that God has established authorities to function in connection with the morality he has given humanity while we also see that God did not institute the authorities to create a standard of morality. We react to God and the morality he has given and the authorities react to us. Thus it is never the government's duty, according to their nature as illustrated in scripture, to set the standard of morality for the people of nations because Christ has already set the standard and it is his followers who are to be a witness and example to that standard while the governments react to people who do good and bad according to the universal standard that God has given to creation.

Endnote: While it is the Church who examples and gives witness to God's gift of Universal morality, it is best that the individual authorities live into that morality as well. It is also a duty of the Christian to pray for the authorities. An examination of this duty and an example of such a prayer can be found here.

Christians As Aliens on Earth

I focus a lot on the issue of identity. Ecclesiology is important to me and I believe our ecclesiology (study of the church) is rooted in our Christology (study of Christ). As a result of this I often write about how Christians, like Jesus, operate within the world but are not of it in nature. By adoption of the Father God we are citizens of his heavenly kingdom and thus have become strangers to the world which is a rebellious place ruled by Satan. The world is not all bad since it is a creation of God which he deemed good in Genesis (and even still the creation obeys him according to the gospels) but the influence of the enemy is strong. It is not at all uncommon for me to stress that Christians are to view themselves as strangers or foreigners where they live. Cities, states, countries, world... we are aliens to them all even though they are, for the time being, our home. We are like the exiles in Jeremiah whom God told to settle in the land, expecting to establish a life where he had placed them.

I would like to share with you an early Christian writing that supports this notion and cemented it more firmly within me several years ago. The following is a portion from a work entitled Letter to Diognetus (also known as Mathetes to Diognetus). Diognetus was a tutor of the emperor Marcus Aurelius, who admired him for his freedom from superstition and sound educational advice, but he is not likely to be the actual recipient, or even the assumed recipient, of this apology. This letter was written at the end of the second century and it is an apologetic letter which means that it is a letter in defense of the Christians. Nobody is saying they are sorry but rather making a case. The translation I am using is one found in Eberhard Arnold's work entitled The Early Christians; In Their Own Words (which is free online). Below are chapters 5 and 6.

Christians cannot be distinguished from the rest of humankind by country, speech, or customs. They do not live in cities of their own; they do not speak a special language; they do not follow a peculiar manner of life. Their teaching was not invented by the ingenuity or speculation of men, nor do they advocate mere book learning, as other groups do. They live in Greek cities and they live in non-Greek cities according to the lot of each one. They conform to the customs of their country in dress, food, and the general mode of life, and yet they show a remarkable, an admittedly extraordinary structure of their own life together. They live in their own countries, but only as guests and aliens. They take part in everything as citizens and endure everything as aliens. Every foreign country is their homeland, and every homeland is a foreign country to them. They marry like everyone else. They beget children, but they do not expose them after they are born. They have a common table, but no common bed. They are in the flesh, but they do not live according to the flesh. They live on earth, but their citizenship is in heaven. They obey the established laws, but through their way of life they surpass these laws. They love all people and are persecuted by all. Nobody knows them, and yet they are condemned. They are put to death, and just through this they are brought to life. They are as poor as beggars, and yet they make many rich. They lack everything, and yet they have everything in abundance. They are dishonored, and yet have their glory in this very dishonor. They are insulted, and just in this they are vindicated. They are abused, and yet they bless. They are assaulted, and yet it is they who show respect. Doing good, they are sentenced like evildoers. When punished with death, they rejoice in the certainty of being awakened to life. Jews attack them as people of another race, and Greeks persecute them, yet those who hate them cannot give any reason to justify their hostility.

In a word: what the soul is in the body, the Christians are in the world. As the soul is present in all the members of the body, so Christians are present in all the cities of the world. As the soul lives in the body, yet does not have its origin in the body, so the Christians live in the world yet are not of the world. Invisible, the soul is enclosed by the visible body: in the same way the Christians are known to be in the world, but their religion remains invisible. Even though the flesh suffers no wrong from the soul, it hates the soul and fights against it because it is hindered by the soul from following its lusts; so too the world, though suffering no wrong from the Christians, hates them because they oppose its lusts. The soul loves the flesh, but the flesh hates the soul; as the soul loves the members of the body, so the Christians love those who hate them. The soul is enclosed in the body, yet it holds the body together; the Christians are kept prisoners in the world, as it were, yet they are the very ones who hold the world together. Immortal, the soul lives in a mortal house; so too the Christians live in a corruptible existence as strangers and look forward to incorruptible life in heaven. When the body is poorly provided with food and drink, the soul gains strength. In the same way the number of Christians increases day by day when they are punished with death. Such is the important task God has entrusted to the Christians and they must not shirk it.

It's interesting how different the lives of the Christians in the late second century look from the lives of Christians today in the United States. The issues are a bit different and the persecutions and deaths are vastly different. The Christians were more rightly hated then and there than they are here and now (in my opinion). Since Christians are in such a peculiar position in the United States today (compared to the first few hundred years of the Church) this teaching concerning identity and citizenship is more important than ever. Now, when it is easy to be overly comfortable and identified with worldly nations, Christians must remember their true identity, their true home, their true citizenship, and live according to the demands that come along with that.

We are to be a unique people, in this world but not of it. More than anything else this looks like living righteous lives in which sin is not present among us. However, we refrain from sinning because of who we are, because of our identity. Because we belong to God and his kingdom and thus operate under his reign we obey him and keep away from sin (which is rebellion against his reign). It is my belief that this allegiance to Christ, in terms of identity, goes beyond the issue of sin and reaches into how we define ourselves on this earth.

An Appropriate Patriotism for Christians

In my last article I discussed the sin of nationalistic idolatry and how it can creep into out hearts via the guise of patriotism. I also said that there is an acceptable and healthy form of patriotism that exists for Christians who belong to the kingdom of God that does not belong to this world. My brother Nick Don suggested I write about what I believe that healthy patriotism looks like. Below are elements of that patriotism. As this is my first attempt at laying out this patriotism it's only right to warn you that this is a rough draft which will probably need improvement. By no means is this an exhaustive look at what an appropriate patriotism but rather it is a list of categories. For now, enjoy and please lend your feedback.

1. Expressing thankfulness for the blessings of that nation to God and humanity. All good gifts are from God (Luke 11:13) and we know that He is involved in our lives and has given us the authorities in his wisdom. We honor God, the authorities, and the nation as a well when we name the blessings within our nation and celebrate what is good and of God. When there is justice for the poor we rejoice, when there are times of peace, we give thanks, and so on. It's too easy to be known for what we are against and thus it is important to be consistently loud in our thanks.

2. Honoring the authorities (1 Peter 13-17). When we honor the authorities we bestow upon them respect and treat them as we would like to be treated. That means we acknowledge that God has placed them in the position of power they hold and we accept it. We speak honestly of them and appeal to their positive traits and gifts when confronting them. We do not curse them but bless them. We do not gossip or speak vulgarly of them. We are loving towards them even in spirit and silence. Most of all, we pray for them (1 Timothy 2:1-3). This applies to Presidents, senators, congress-people, police officers, certain military personnel, city officials, and more. In our attitudes, words, and deeds we are to honor those in authority. We ought to pray for peace, justice, and blessings for others but never in a way that shows a favoritism for the people who live in the same nation of us over those who live and operate in/for other nations. When we respect other nations and their authorities we are patriotic as well for in such action we demonstrate a living attitude and represent the land we live in well. Living in this way helps to create the nation we desire to see develop.

3. Obeying the law as a good citizen (Romans 13). We obey the law predominantly as a consequence of the nation having laws that align with God's expectations for his people so this is rarely difficult. Of course, when the law of the land goes against what God has commanded Christians are right and even patriotic to commit civil disobedience (something the United States is founded on and has praised in retrospect several times in her history). By obeying the law we show respect and approval of the goodness of the nation's morality and obedience to God. By disobeying unjust laws with are against the Way of God we do a Godly and patriotic service by calling the authorities back to the Way of God in order that she may continue function as she was created, to be a servant for the Creator, keeping just governance over the people.

4. Pay taxes (Luke 20:20-26). There is debate over this one but scripture seems to indicate that there's no need to start a revolution when money doesn't matter too much and everything belongs to God. Give back to the emperor, king, president, what is his. In paying our taxes we are financially participating in the development (or destruction) of our nation as our authorities have demanded. Since we are people who pray and know that our prayers have a greater power in the world than our taxes we can give that money back, as asked, knowing that God is working. This is similar to obeying the law but because it is given it's own space in Jesus' teaching's I think it right to give it space here as well.

5. Loving the people within in the nation and living at peace with them. Nations are made up of people and thus it is patriotic to love the people who make up that nation. By being involved in the lives of the people around us and blessing them day to day we show that we care for the individual and for the whole nation. Some may call this micro-patriotism; small acts that show a valuing of a larger group of which the recipient of these acts is a part. It should be said that this applies in greater measure when encountering those whom we disagree with, especially when it comes to how the nation ought to function. When we love those people, who always desire to see the nation improved, it shows our great concern for how the people in our nation live by exampling that lifestyle. By creating peace among the people we show a value for the people of the nation and thus our patriotism.

6. Bearing witness to the authorities concerning the Lordship of Christ and the proper role of the authorities according to scripture. As a people who understand the function of the authorities on earth and who placed them there it is our duties (for we are indeed our brother's keeper) to do what we are able to ensure that the authorities remember they are servants of God. This does not mean we try to pass laws that force Christian morality on others but rather that we speak truth to power, keeping in contact with the authorities and reminding them with prayer, encouragement, challenge, and rebuke (when needed) that they are to govern as men and women entrusted with a great power by the Creator of all things. We remind them that they rest upon the shoulders of Jesus Christ and ought to honor him and that if they will not then they must repent. By showing the nation that we understand it's true nature and by calling it to live into it's purpose we show the upmost patriotism.

7. Being involved in the local community so that life flourishes. Shop local, attend city council meetings, write to the mayor and state officials, etc. Whether you vote or not, this is the best way to be the hands and feet of Christ in your neighborhood. By cleaning up parks, pushing city council to put a stop sign on the corner of X and 1st, coaching little league, or any other beneficial local community activity we contribute to the small part of the nation we live in. We make our homes here and thus we should seek to cultivate life here. Patriotic people are best seen in the fruits of their labor and the goodness they bring after they've lived somewhere for a while. If the neighborhoods and neighbors are changing in a way that glorifies God and makes the nation a pleasing one by the way we operate in relation to them then we are being patriotic (and good stewards). For some people this looks like being the head of public works and for others it looks like writing a letter to repave 63rd street.

Healthy patriotism is rooted in how we love and obey God. Our concern must be to love God and neighbor as imitators of Christ. When we seek to do this we will inevitably live as good citizens, even if the state will at times disagree with what a good citizen looks like. Martin Luther King Jr. is an excellent example of a patriotic Christian who was, at times, seen as a bad citizen when he was actually a supreme citizen. He changed the U.S.A. because he loved God and loved the nation and the potential she had.

We don't need to wave flags, pledge our allegiance, pick up arms, attend parades, obey the flag code of the National Anthem, buy "support our troops" bumper stickers, or even vote for the next President to be patriotic citizens of the nation we live in. In fact, some of those activities can be downright idolatrous. We can be thankful, honoring, obedient, challenging, and involved citizens without compromising our identity or values as Christian people who are firstly citizens of God's heavenly kingdom. We're foreigners where we live but that doesn't mean we can't be productive people who delight in where we've made our temporary home.

Nationalistic Idolatry

Idolatry is the sin of glorifying and aligning ourselves with gods other than the Triune God of the Bible who is revealed in Jesus Christ. The first commandment given to Israel at Mount Sinai was to "have no other gods before" YHWH (Exodus 20:3). We know that idolatry does not demand we bow down to idols made of wood, gold, or stone but that it can occur within our hearts and that our gods/masters can be anything from Vishnu to the numbers in our bank accounts. Anything that we allow to reign in our hearts so that is has authority over us and ends up leading us, taking our heart and mind captive, that is a false god whom we worship.

A popular form of idolatry is nationalistic idolatry. It often comes to power under the guise of patriotism. What happens is that Christians mix up the priority of their kingdom-of-God-citizenship identity with their earthly-national-citizenship identity, allowing the two to mix together in a way that allows their earthly-national-citizenship to become more important to them, and thus more ruling in their lives, than their identity which is found in Christ Jesus. In shorter words, nationalistic idolatry is putting country before/above Christ or even confusing the two.

In this mindset it can be believed that God has created a new theocracy of sorts in one's own country. Since I live in the United states and it is a nation with the reputation of "a Christian nation" (whatever that is supposed to mean) we'll use that as the example. Those who live in nationalistic idolatry of this sort (in some forms Christ is dismissed altogether) often believe that God is using the U.S. as his chosen people and their government as his chosen means of operating in the world. In other words, Americans and their form of democracy are God's gift to the world and thus, in the words of Senator John McCain, "the last best hope of Earth." This statement, originally made by Lincoln, in a slightly less idolatrous context, has been publicly quoted by Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama.

We can easily see the leaders of the United States committing this type of nationalistic idolatry that mixes together the traditions and doctrine of the Church with the traditions and doctrine of the United States. President George W. Bush said, "There’s power, wonder-working power, in the goodness and idealism and faith of the American people." He also stated, "The ideal of America is the hope of all mankind. … That hope still lights our way. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” When we begin to replace Jesus with the United States we commit nationalistic idolatry. When we dismiss the commands of Christ for the sake of our identity and loyalty with a nation we commit nationalistic idolatry. We can often see nationalistic idolatry through art.

(This flag is actually for purchase)

If we're praying for the military of our nation to be blessed with good aim to kill their national enemies in war, we're committing nationalistic idolatry by choosing to love our country more than our neighbor and our God who demands we love enemies. If we "support our troops" and don't believe "their" troops belong to us just as much then we are committing nationalistic idolatry by allowing our nation to define us more than the Christ who lives and dies for all who are against him. It is nationalistic idolatry that leads to the creation of idolatrous bibles such as The American Patriot's Bible which likens U.S. soldiers to the Son of God and connect July 4th directly with the Incarnation of Christ by saying "Is it not that, in the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior? That it forms a leading event in the progress of the Gospel dispensation? Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer's mission upon earth?" (for a review of this scripture go here). It is this same idolatry which leads to situations like the one in Iraq where soldiers preached "Jesus killed Mohammed."

When we believe that Jesus has established the U.S. (or any nation) to do his will of reconciliation on this earth instead of the Church, which is the Body of Christ, then we commit nationalistic idolatry. The examples are endless. The issue comes down to identity. Do we know ourselves to be bond-servant's of Christ who are citizens in the kingdom of heaven or bond-servants of one particular group of human beings and citizens of one wordly nation which shall one day pass away? Which forms our identity and influences our words and deeds the most? Which serves which? Are we American Christians or Christians in America? Too many of us are Americans before we are Christians and this is not to be so. Do we know the Apostle's Creed as well as The Pledge of Allegiance? Are we more reverent during the National Anthem or the reading of scripture?

This type of idolatry tells us that a true Christian must be of a certain political party and must push that party's agenda. If, as Stanley Hauerwas states, "faith in God is indistinguishable from loyalty to ...country" there is a problem within our hearts and we must repent. God wants to bring all nations, though they be worthless (Isaiah 40:17), to himself (Psalm 22:27, Daniel 7:14), and has given the ministry of Christ, which is reconciliation, to the Church (2 Corinthians 5:11-21). When God previously used a theocracy it was so that they would be a blessing to the entire world, bringing them close to God and not necessarily into a particular nation (Genesis 18:18). We are to have renewed minds (Romans 12:1-2), new selves (Ephesians 4:24, Colossians 3:10), knowing that we are within this world but not defined by since we do not belong to it (John 15:19), away from our true home as foreigners (John 17:16, 18:36, 2 Corinthians 10:3), representing the king of kings as his ambassadors on this earth (2 Corinthians 5:10, Ephesians 6:20), loving all people (Mark 12:31, Matthew 5:43-48). We can be patriotic, thankful for the blessings that exist within the nation we're legal citizens of but we can not worship that nation by allowing to define us or to make us waver in our commitment to Christ. Jesus calls us to be a people for people and whenever one group of people tries to set us against another group of people for their own reasons we must refuse it, choosing to obey God rather than man. We are to be servants to all and mastered by One (Deuteronomy 6:4) and that One is Jesus Christ (John 1:1).

The Jesus of scripture is not wrapped in the American flag but in he banner of divine love. He is not expressed in America or her flag but in the face of Jesus Christ of Nazareth who died upon a cross covered in blood and rose again three days later. He is our Creator and thus our Definer. He models for us who we ought to be and how we ought to live, thus we are truly of him when we are like him in this world (1John 4:17). Let us be good citizens, honoring our authorities (1 Peter 2:17) but never allowing them to have our allegiance which belongs to Christ so that we may love all creation, doing good to all. Let us love our nations enough to not be enslaved to them in our hearts. Let us call them to their rightful spot beneath Christ, as his servant, to live in peace with the rest of the world (Romans 13:6). Let us know nothing but Christ crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2) and be transformed into his likeness and not into whatever it is our nation may want us to be. As Colossians 2:6-10 states,

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.